Held for the first time in Quang Tri, the Festival for Peace 2024 has become a place of cultural convergence and solidarity, spreading the message of peace from Vietnam to the world.
The Festival for Peace in Quang Tri
Understanding the value of peace and solidarity
Perhaps, because of suffering too much bombs and bullets; dividing the country; separation; too much suffering and loss caused by war, Quang Tri is the place where people clearly understand how great the price of peace is. Looking more broadly, in thousands of years of history, through many resistance wars against foreign invaders to protect the independence and freedom of the Fatherland, the Vietnamese people have always shown solidarity and love for peace.
The reason why the Government agreed to let Quang Tri province coordinate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to organize the Festival for Peace on an international scale, according to Mr. Hoang Nam, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Tri province, Head of the Organizing Committee of the first Festival for Peace is because "Quang Tri has gathered many elements, many stories of peace throughout the long history of the country that not many places have". The festival has contributed to enhancing the position and image of the country and the Vietnamese people; Building Quang Tri into a cultural space for peace, a destination for peace, a meeting place for friends from all over the world who love peace.
In the current context, the world is experiencing many conflicts, organizing the Festival for Peace 2024 on a land that was once devastated by war like Quang Tri has once again affirmed the strong messages about the strong vitality of the Vietnamese people, becoming a place of convergence and exchange of countries and cities that have experienced and are experiencing the fierce devastation of war. There have been many stories about war and the arduous journey of the whole nation to gain independence and peace that are recalled here. History has recorded that 2 peace agreements, including the Geneva Agreement (Switzerland) on the cessation of war and the restoration of peace in Indochina (1954), the Paris Agreement (France) on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam (1972), are both closely related to the land of Quang Tri.
The two historic rivers Ben Hai and Thach Han have also gone down in history, recording the pain of separation and the place that created the miracle of the land of steel blossoms. Quang Tri town - a small town with an area of less than 4 km2, in just 81 fiery days and nights of the summer of 1972, had to endure a bombardment with a destructive power greater than 7 atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima. Nothing can describe the pain, loss, and devastation of those days. Quang Tri - the arduous heart of the Central region, has up to 72 martyrs' cemeteries with more than 54,000 martyrs remaining, including 2 national martyrs' cemeteries and 1 common grave of martyrs named Quang Tri Citadel. There are still more than 50,000 martyrs who have not been found here.
However, Quang Tri is also the place that witnessed the strongest post-war reconciliation. From the process of normalizing Vietnam-US relations, to searching for and returning the remains of US soldiers missing in action (MIA), providing information and coordinating the search for the remains of martyrs of the Vietnam Liberation Army, overcoming the consequences of dioxin, overcoming the dangers and pollution of bombs and mines left over from the war. With more than 80% of the land area contaminated with bombs and mines, Quang Tri is the first province to be permitted by the Government to carry out international cooperation activities to overcome the consequences of bombs and mines left over from the war. Many other initiatives to heal the pain of war have taken place in the land of Quang Tri.
Many foreign diplomatic delegations, veterans, and tourists, including the US Ambassador, have visited the Truong Son National Martyrs' Cemetery, the National Martyrs' Cemetery of Route 9 and historical sites in the province. The historic Hien Luong Bridge has been lit up in green to become a symbol of the connection of nations instead of the image of the division between the North and the South during the war. Quang Tri province also connects and cooperates for development with localities and lands that have suffered the pain of war in the world such as Hiroshima, Nagasaki (Japan); Gangwon (Korea) to demonstrate the love of peace and the spirit of solidarity around the world.
Promoting the role of culture and heritage values in promoting human tolerance
Building peace in the world, according to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, is the greatest responsibility of humanity and requires immediate action today. The Festival for Peace taking place in Quang Tri in 2024 is also the year the world celebrates the 25th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of the Declaration and Programme of Action on the Culture of Peace, the International Day of Peace (September 21).
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay highly appreciated and welcomed this humanitarian initiative of Quang Tri (Vietnam) and said that this event is very suitable for UNESCO's mission. Not only valuable in Vietnam, the Festival for Peace also hopes to meet the common concerns of the international community, promoting the role of culture and cultural heritage values in promoting tolerance, promoting dialogue, linking cultural cooperation, connecting communities and society for development and a peaceful world.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO affirmed: “The Festival for Peace has conveyed Vietnam's message of love for peace; promoted the unique colors of culture and art, spread the national cultural and historical identity; honored and absorbed the quintessence of human culture. Not only creating opportunities for cultures to meet and cooperate, together building a peaceful world, the festival also promotes tourism potential and contributes to the socio-economic development of Quang Tri”.
With more than 500 historical revolutionary relics and relic clusters, including famous landmarks such as: Road 9, Khe Sanh, Hien Luong - Ben Hai riverbanks; Truong Son Road - Ho Chi Minh Trail; Vinh Moc tunnels and Vinh Linh tunnel village system; Quang Tri ancient citadel and places commemorating the 81-day and night event in 1972,etc. Quang Tri is known as the most "lively museum" of historical war relics in our country. These historical relics have created the tourism brand of Quang Tri as a place to preserve "Memories of war - Aspiration for peace". Currently, tours to the demilitarized zone (DMZ), spiritual tourism, nostalgia for old battlefields are typical tours of Quang Tri.
Mr. Hoang Nam, Vice Chairman of Quang Tri Provincial People's Committee said: "Quang Tri hopes that the Festival for Peace will be a completely new tourism product of Vietnam, only in Quang Tri, initiated by Quang Tri and created by everyone together. Currently, Quang Tri is gradually forming a cultural space for peace, a destination for peace; attracting investment resources to develop tourism, improving the quality of tours and routes with the determination to make tourism a spearhead economic sector of the province, creating a launching pad for socio-economic development of the province".
IPA
